SHARED LIVES

by Lyndall. Gordon

The author describes her childhood in the Jewish community in Cape Town in the 1950s and 1960s, her experiences in New York and Oxford, her Eastern European ancestors, and the bonds she has formed over the years

Genres: Africa

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Marion Roux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had just finished reading "Letters of Stone" (about Jews during WW2), when I was drawn to "Shared Lives" , a combined biography and memoir of girls growing up in Cape Town in the 1950s and 1960s. Early in the book, Lyndall Gordon describes the lives of one set of Jewish parents and this is so reminiscent of "Letters of Stone". She tells of their flight as refugees from Eastern Europe, D.F.Malan's Quota Act for immigrants to South Africa in 1933 and the survival of this couple being their business, adapting to estabish their independence in a new country.
Gordon elaborates predominantly on her and three of her friends growth and maturation through the years. These 3 friends all die young and it was only in the late 80s that the author felt ready to write this account. The friends were always present in her mind and her research for this book revealed the impact these three personalities also had on other people.
I found this book delightful with a strong intellectual bent. She makes sharp, crisp and pertinent observations. She expounds on deep thoughts and makes thought-provoking comments. 'Thinking' is her forte.

[Alice Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really made me think about the nature of friendship. The personal tragedies are all the harder to read because they are true, and you know that there won’t be a contrived happy ending. As an exercise in finding the value of writing about a life that might have looked “unimportant”, I thought this was instructive for its method and for the social and political situations it discusses.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotional. But felt something missing politically.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up in Cape Town... 50's...

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

First rate.